Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-07-03
NEW YORK LETTER.
GAMBLING CLUBS AND OPIUM DsSs
FOR LSprvs DO ror EXIST.
A Defence Of Few York Women Some
Fearful Dsns- The sharp Trial
and Incidents Of Interest.
Correspondence Of tho Richmond Dispa,oh.l

Ht ittA toiu dbuut tbt ihuitS VI NtN
York are at times appalling. In scope,
variety, structural strength, intensity
of imagination, and absolute aud unre-
hitting wickedness they are unap-
uoachablc. tits, however, curiously
tIough an easy matter 80 see why the
lios are told. The difficulty OF detecting
Tire difference between lady and a
woman who is not lady in New York
IL at times beyond all belief An adj
ventures vhoops things up end raises
the deuce, and she appears IN public
under the guise OF ga noted New
York lady within week. 1t
does not seem 20 strike the casual OBJ
server Of New York life that lady here
is no different from lady elsewhere.
IL is not the custom among women OF
good breeding, refinement. AMI high
social position 20 get drunk in public
places. drive hacks at midnight up
Broadway, smoke opium with bad
actors in Eowery Joints" swim IN
public places clad in bathing suits that
would staItle the Venus dc Milo, gam
bile at crack clubs, and sit on the
shoulders of their friends at the races
smok Dg cigaIettcs, and making moro
or less liberal displays OF their hosiery
IL may csuse wave of startled resent
ment and disbelief TO sweep over the
country on leaning that New York Ia
dies do not do these things, h1t the
truth cannot be gainsaid.
GAMBLING CLUBS.
have read numerous and eloquent
articles about the gambling clubs de-
voted to women in New York. Alluring
aud spectacular pictures are drawn by
the vivid pens OF clever writers pic
turing ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS houses
furnished in the most lavish manner
and devoted entirely to the gambling
prOcliyitics of the members of the
club. There are poker rooms, roulette
tables, bacarat, faro layOuts, and so on.
The president of the club is usually de-
fcribed as Il woman of commanding
and handsome presence, with gray hair
and alfable manners The waters are
tidy and well-built young women in
clubunifOTn. WhOCany SETTLING glasses
Of champagne around constantly on
trays. The best society women OF
New York are said TO. drive up to these
places, gamble, drink, smoke ciga-
rcttos, &c. After they havelost given
smount of money--usually placed at
large and satisfactory figure-they reel
out into the air again and return to
home and society. All of which is the
pGrcst baldcrdnsh and rot. do not
claim TO know New York much better
than any other man, but | have lived
here all my hic, and have not re-
siricted myself entirely to church cir
Giles. Besides, / have it on the al
{ uity Of men who are indubitably
= u t6rmod on such matters that
there IS not woman's gambling-hOuse
IA New York outside of the queer little
japanese and Italian dcns where rag
pickers' hags occasionally risk few
cnuics on the cast of dice. Much the
ame order of mendacity floats about
concerning the opium Joints y of
New York.
VISITING THE DESs.
My Imagination became so fired by the
vomptuous, ingenious, and taking pc
tulcs OF New York society women in
their luxuliant opium joints that |
mace a tour OF all the opium places in
New York once, accompanied by "A
ccltmntcd authority on the opium
habit and q man who had large prac-
tice among slaves of the drug, named
Ir. Garlsh. We had one OF the
tbrewd,st detectives from the Central
Office with u.s. What my two c0npan-
ions did not know about the opium
habit i'm New York was not worth
knowing. We spent three nights on
the tour. IL WIS a continual sue
c,ssion of revolving pictures, night
mare of sitting OdOTs, and an unbrOken
sores Of ehastly, unpleasant pictures
IL was mn experience 1 shall never for
ret. for it had in it more squalor,
misery, and beastliness chan ever eX-
pcct to see again. We searched III
VAN for the magnificent "diyes up
lolstcred with Oriental magniiicence,
furnished with superb Chinese dvans,
lighted by grotesque and beautiful
lnpps. made soft aud nOlsclcss 10y rich
RUGS, and managed by soft-i9oted and
uCou-eycd Celestials, about which so
uuch has been written, and where 1T Is
snid the society ladies' OF New YORK
give themselves over 10 the Vaccinations
Of the awful dug.
FEARFUL pEpRlVlTY.
The most prctcntious plsce that saw
Gmiug the tour WIS in the sub cellar OF
n Sixth-avenue house. The floor was
carpu,d and that Is why IT stood out III
such striking magniticence AMI splen-
dor. as compared with the otherplaccs.
The CouchOs were rough wooden
hunks. the ceiling low, begrimed and
= otv. and the lack of cleanliness
ron ching awful There were seven OF
C.lt women lyingaroun ON the bunk
Wien We arrived and four or i've men
were iut,Nporscd promiscuously among
tb,m. lt was about ! o'clock in the
molninr. a single light burned IN the
cD.ttc If The square room and the wo
rI,n isy IN The hunks around the foul
sides. IN ot them had their gown
l,cs,ued AZ the throat, and they lay II
positofs Of absolute languor and III
dienerce. Some had rolled over OF
tleir hacks. some Icy heavily on theil
fac,s. and others were twisted up awk
vnrdlv in corners. Only two of then
we've what might be called decentll
clad. They wore the flash jewelry an'
csudy clothes of women OF the town
IL was said that this place had the bes
class of smokers of any in New York
and we went back IN the afternoon the
detective and Ito hayea look at NOR
Of them. We found women who wer'
better dressed than the ones we saw tina
nieLt, and among them was rAthe
well.kuoNn actress and two womei
WHO drive magnificent horses aud maxi
acr,at show about town. They wer'
ali hnlf.deadcned 10y the drug, and a
the Chinamau took his light aroun'
and flashed it in their faces few o
them opened their eyes. lie evidently
considered them great swells, and ever
the detective was more or less impreSse'
lv tie gorgeous attire OF several OF IN
dcyotees OF the habit ; bat 1t needed
onlva Glance to show that not a woman
among them had the faintest right t
tie little lady nor the least claim to re
reliability.
aHe MORPHINE CLUBS
fonrishcd for time in the newspapers
! not only never saw oue nor heard O